AAP members wishing to submit resolutions to the Annual Leadership Forum need to be aware of the process for obtaining Chapter and District support for their resolutions. For a detailed discussion of the Annual Leadership Forum history and future dates, the purpose and significance of resolutions, and the resolution process please refer to the review on the National AAP website's Member's Only Channel.

An AAP member submitting a resolution should draft the resolution in the approved format. Resolution Template

A Members-Only section will be added, exclusively for Chapter Members.

Fit to Play & Learn is launching its 2nd year in LAUSD!

AAP-CA2 has partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) School Nurses Act to Prevent Obesity (SNAPO) to champion a childhood obesity prevention program,

Fit to Play & Learn. The brand new program is teaching low-income 4th and 5th graders and their parents ways to integrate healthy food, healthy drinks choices, and physical activities into their daily lives.

The recent Republican and Democratic National Conventions remind us about the importance of elections. There is currently an election underway for the next AAP President. Please make sure to vote for your future AAP leaders by October 1, 2012 by visiting this link. Candidate information is available here.

And speaking about the importance of having our voices heard, Richard Pan's AB 2109 Bill requiring parents to get information about vaccines before opting out using the personal belief exemption prior to school entry, has passed the Assembly and the Senate and is awaiting the Governor's signature. It needs your support. Please see Kris Calvin's update in this issue.

Resolutions which are voted upon at the Annual Leadership Forum are another way to have our voices heard and influencing policy development at the AAP level. Information on the process is also highlighted in this issue.

Other features included in this newsletter include information about car seat safety and an event at Harbor UCLA for car seat checks; a parent handout about helping kids returning to school and homework; two autism related CME events; a Woman and Words Literary Conference on Sept 29th to benefit Reach Out and Read; and a call for nominations on National AAP child health priorities.

The California Legislature has passed and sent to the Governor's desk AB 2109. This bill would require families requesting a Personal Belied Exemption (PBE) from one or more vaccines required for school entry to submit a form signed by a health care provider, as specified (MD, DO, NP, PA, naturopathic practitioner or school nurse) documenting that the family has received information on the benefits and risks of immunizations, as well as the consequences to others in the community should they develop a vaccine-preventable disease and expose

susceptible individuals.

The bill is authored by Assembly Member Richard Pan, M.D. FAAP, and is sponsored jointly by the AAP-CA, the California Immunization Coalition, the California Medical Association, and the Health Officers Association of California.

In signing the form, a pediatrician or other health care provider is only documenting that the family received the appropriate information; the healthcare provider is not endorsing any decision by the family not to vaccinate. AB 2109 would not prevent any parent or guardian from gaining an exemption for their child from the school entry requirement for one or more vaccines. Rather, it simply adds one step to the process in recognition of the role that vaccines play in protecting the health of all children and the community. (Currently, in California a parent can sign the form at the school and instantaneously receive the exemption).

For more information on the Personal Belief Exemption and AB 2109, please go to the below link to a brief informative article by Wilbert Mason, MD, FAAP and Yasuko Fukuda, MD, FAAP.

3. CALL the Governor's office at 916-445-2841. Leave a voicemail if needed (they keep track of these) urging the Governor to sign AB 2109. (At times this # yields a busy signal or a message that it will not accept voicemails. Try again, or use one of the other contact formats.)

Thank you for your interest in AAP-CA advocacy and activities! Please take a look at the list of bills District is following in Sacramento this year at http://www.aap-ca.org/bills/

Making the transition from Summer to Fall means that there are a lot of changes that must be managed. Here are five back to school tips for your patients and parents to help make the shift as easy as possible... 5 Back to school tips

2013-2014 National AAP Agenda For Children

Child Health Priority Nominations

The Advisory Committee to the Board on Strategic Planning (ACBOSP) invites you to submit a nomination for a new child health priority for the AAP Agenda For Children 2013-2014.

The AAP is actively working on two new multi-year priorities approved last year, Epigenetics, and Children, Adolescents, and Media. For proposals to be submitted and discussed this year, ACBOSP has noted a specific interest in considering longer-range child health issues that are percolating and may develop into major national issues over the next few years.

Should you choose to nominate a topic, please use the attached nomination form and return to Danielle Kilchenstein at dkilchenstein@gmail.com by October 10, 2012.

News to Save Kids Riding in Cars

Motor vehicle crashes remain the number 1 cause of death and permanent disability for children and young adults. Pediatricians are the most trusted by parents as the source of information and advice on injury prevention and, as such, have an incomparable opportunity to reach children and their parents. SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., the national, nonprofit organization solely devoted to child passenger safety, is offering resources to help you update the information you provide to families about safety seats

and boosters.

Last year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) revised its recommendations on two important issues regarding child passenger safety. In addition, for Californians, the child passenger safety law has been revised to give greater clarity to the requirements for using booster seats.

Key changes that pediatricians need to know are:

Rear-Facing Child Safety Seats: New recommendations from AAP indicate that children remain rear facing in child safety seats until they are at least 2 years of age, or to the maximum rear-facing capacity of their seats (30 - 45 lbs.). Studies have shown that head and neck injuries are significantly reduced when children remain rear facing because the child's head, neck, and spine are better protected in a properly fitted rear-facing child seat. Parents need to be educated and advised of this

life-saving recommendation.

Booster Seat Usage: AAP now recommends that children use booster seats until they can be properly secured in vehicle safety belts. To satisfy this recommendation, and to comply with California law, booster seats need to be used until about age 10-12, much longer than most parents realize. This is during the period after children have outgrown safety seats with harness straps and until the child fits the vehicle safety belt correctly. SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. has shown in many settings that in most vehicles, most children do not fit in belts properly before age 10-12. Booster seats are very important for proper crash protection, reducing the risk of injury to a child by half. Our simple 5-Step Test can be used to help determine if a child fits properly in the lap and shoulder belt without using a booster seat.

Resources: Through a grant received from the Atlas Family Foundation, SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. is able to offer Los Angeles County-based pediatricians free Starter Kits with printed materials to share with patients and their families. These materials focus on best-practice recommendations and clear directions for parents. The Starter Kit includes various handouts and is available by calling (310) 222-6860 or by sending an e-mail to stombrello@carseat.org. Additional resources are available through our Web site at www.carseat.org

Presentations: SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. will be conducting a series of presentations on child passenger safety in Los Angeles County specifically for pediatricians. To schedule a presentation for your staff or to find a presentation in your area, please call

(310) 222-6860.

Stephanie M. Tombrello, LCSW, CPSTI

Executive Director

Kristin Cyprien, CPST

SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A.

(310) 222-6860

Funding Opportunities

The CATCH Program is a national program of the American Academy of Pediatrics that increases children's access to medical homes or specific health services supporting pediatricians and communities who are involved in community-based efforts for children. The CATCH program offers a variety of funding opportunities for pediatricians. The 2013 Cycle 2 CATCH Implementation and Resident Call for Proposals will open 11/1/2012. The application deadline is 1/31/2013 at 2 pm CST.

Utah AAP members Drs. Paul Carbone, Nancy Murphy, and Michael Himle of The University of Utah are conducting an online survey of pediatricians regarding the sexual development and behavior of children with autism. You are invited to participate in this survey if you currently provide care for any families managing autism. Participation in the survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes.

Your responses will help them learn how pediatricians address and integrate these issues into medical care. Information and resources for pediatricians and parents regarding sexual development and autism will be provided upon completion of the survey.